Superman got off to a flyer on HBO Max, with a whopping 13 million views in 10 days.
According to Variety, that makes the DC Universe kickstarter the biggest HBO Max movie launch since 2023’s blockbuster, Barbie.
James Gunn’s movie launched on HBO Max on September 19, and, Warner Bros. said, sparked renewed interest in all things Superman. Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story, for example, saw a 670% increase in streaming week on week. 1978's Superman: The Movie, the first of four Superman films to star Christopher Reeve in the title role, increased 155%. Superman Returns, Bryan Singer's 2006 effort starring Brandon Routh, rose 120%. And Zack Snyder’s 2013 DCEU opener Man of Steel starring Henry Cavill jumped 40%.
Superman hit HBO Max after a theatrical run that generated $615 million at the global box office, making it the first and likely only superhero movie of 2025 to pass $600 million. Most of that money was made in North American theaters (Gunn has offered his thoughts on why Superman did better domestically than internationally).
Last month, Gunn made the surprise announcement that Superman would see its digital release on Friday, August 15 — just over a month after the film launched in theaters. Gunn blamed this relatively early home release on HBO Max TV series Peacemaker Season 2, which follows on directly from the events of Superman and serves as a prequel to Gunn’s Superman follow-up, Man of Tomorrow.
Gunn has now revealed the first details on Man of Tomorrow, confirming “it’s as much a Lex movie as it is a Superman movie.” It looks likely the villain this time around is Brainiac.
Shooting begins in April 2026 ahead of the film’s planned July 9, 2027 release date — just two years after Superman came out. "It's gonna be out in two years, July 9, 2027, which is a relatively short time between sequels, because we knew immediately where we were going," Gunn explained.
"And it is a story about Lex Luthor and Superman having to work together, to a certain degree, against a much, much bigger threat. And it's more complicated than that. It's as much a Lex movie as it is a Superman movie. I relate to the character of Lex Luthor, sadly."
You can check out IGN’s own speculation in our feature, Man of Tomorrow: What Do We Know About the Plot and Villain of James Gunn's Superman Sequel?
Before Man of Tomorrow, 2026 will see Supergirl, Lanterns, and Clayface all come out as part of the continuing DCU.
Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
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